Superman Vol 1 17
Supporting Characters: * * Antagonists: * Other Characters: * * Locations: * ** Vehicles: * subway trains | Writer2_1 = Jerry Siegel | Penciler2_1 = Leo Nowak | Inker2_1 = Leo Nowak | StoryTitle2 = The Human Bomb | Synopsis2 = | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * * * Antagonists: * Watkins, a hypnotist ** The Human Bombs Locations: * ** | Writer3_1 = Jerry Siegel | Penciler3_1 = John Sikela | Inker3_1 = John Sikela | StoryTitle3 = Muscles For Sale | Synopsis3 = | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Antagonists: * Jake Massey, hypnotist * Mike Mosby, gym owner Other Characters: * Mister Brandt * Nat Folsom Locations: * ** * | Writer4_1 = Jerry Siegel | Penciler4_1 = John Sikela | Inker4_1 = John Sikela | StoryTitle4 = When Titans Clash | Synopsis4 = In early February, 1942, Luthor is sentenced to death in the electric chair, but the criminal genius has prepared for this event, and instead of killing him, the electrical energy restores Luthor’s artificial super powers. Laughing maniacally, he smashes his way out of the prison, eludes Superman, gathers his henchmen, and robs the Elkhart Express on the outskirts of Metropolis. Superman shows up; he and Luthor duke it out inconclusively; Luthor escapes. The next day, Luthor in a fake beard, posing as Carlyle Allerton, prominent authority on ancient stones and their mystic powers, easily dupes Superman into handing over the Powerstone. This immediately saps most of Superman's power, into Luthor, who now can also grow to giant size. So can his clothes. Superman remains invulnerable enough to survive being smacked with a steel bridge, but has trouble crawling out from under it. Next day, Lois & Clark blunder into Luthor's gang's hideout, an abandoned factory; Kent is tossed into a pit, gets lucky, climbs out, changes clothes, bluffs his way past Luthor's gang, frees Lois, and confronts Luthor, whom he dupes into dropping the Powerstone. Superman quickly graps the stone, frees Lois, frees Luthor's hostages, and rescues Luthor's gang, as Luthor cravenly blows up the factory to cover his own escape. | Appearing4 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Antagonists: * Locations: * ** Items: * | Notes = * Published by Superman, Inc. * This entire issue is reprinted in . * This issue's first story, "Man or Superman?", is the only 1940s story in which Lois tries to prove Clark is Superman, a plot device that will become quite common in the Silver Age. ** "Man or Superman?" is reprinted in Superman: From the 30's to the 70's, in Superman: From the 30's to the 80's, and in Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years. * This issue's third story, "Muscles For Sale", is the first appearance of the first version of Superman's Secret Sanctuary, which is located "in the mountains" but not far from Metropolis. Later it would be relocated to the Arctic Circle. * This issue's fourth story, "When Titans Clash", takes place in early February, 1942, during the time of the events of . In that version of this story, Luthor is retroactively portrayed with red hair rather than bald. ** Superman's prior appearance is in . Luthor's prior appearance is in and his next appearance is in . This is his tenth big and evil scheme, and at the end of this episode, he is still at large. ** Superman encounters the Ultra-Humanite, who steals the Powerstone, immediately after this story, as told in , and that story begins on Feb 9th, so all of this story has to be over before then. ** The first Luthor/Powerstone/Superman battle, in Action Comics #47 (April 1942), has to have happened some weeks before this story, in order for Luthor to get all the way thru the Earth-Two American justice system to the electric chair. It therefore seems as if Action Comics #47 took place in 1941-(late December) at the latest. ** "When Titans Clash" is reprinted in and . | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = }}